Free legal aid for housing, family and debt problems

Step 1 — Understand what legal aid is

In a non-criminal (“civil”) case, you generally do not have a right to a free lawyer (ABA — FAQ). That is the gap legal aid fills. Criminal cases are different: if you are charged with a crime, the ABA says to ask for a public defender at your first court appearance (ABA — FAQ).

Legal aid means nonprofit organizations that give free legal help in civil matters to people with low incomes. The biggest funder is the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), an independent nonprofit set up by Congress in 1974. It currently funds 129 nonprofit legal aid organizations in every state, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories (LSC — I Need Legal Help). LSC-funded programs help with problems such as child custody, child support, protection from domestic violence, eviction, foreclosure and access to benefits (LSC — What are Legal Services?). Depending on where you live, help may also cover work problems and consumer problems like debt collection and repossession (USA.gov).

What to expect:

• Income limits. LSC-funded programs set income limits of up to 125% of the federal poverty guidelines, with some exceptions up to 200%, and they also set limits on savings and other assets (eCFR — 45 CFR 1611.3 and 1611.5). For a survivor of domestic violence, the abuser’s income and assets are not counted (eCFR — 45 CFR 1611.3(e)). Other programs have their own rules (USA.gov).
• Not every case. Civil legal aid does not handle money-damages cases such as car accidents or medical malpractice, traffic tickets or criminal cases (LawHelp.org).
• Not everyone gets a lawyer. Budgets are often small, so programs take only certain cases and turn away many people (ABA — FAQ). If one office says no, try the next option.

Step 2 — Don’t ignore court papers: find your deadline

Keep every paper from a court, a landlord or a debt collector, and write down the date you got it. Never ignore court papers.

If a debt collector sues you, the CFPB says to respond by the date in the court papers, yourself or through a lawyer (CFPB). If you don’t, the court can enter a default judgment: the collector generally wins what it asked for, plus fees, interest and costs, and can then garnish your wages, put a lien on your property or freeze money in your bank account (CFPB).

Eviction deadlines can be very short. In California, for example, a tenant who is handed eviction papers usually has 10 court days to file an answer, not counting weekends and court holidays (California Courts — SUM-130). Without an answer, the landlord can ask the judge to order the eviction without the tenant’s input (California Courts — SUM-130). Deadlines differ by state and case type, so ask a court self-help center or legal aid office right away. For problems with a landlord, see our guide to tenant rights.

Step 3 — Find your local legal aid organization

• LSC’s “I Need Legal Help” map. Enter your address or city to find the LSC-funded legal aid organization for your area (LSC).
• LawHelp.org. Not a government website: it is a program of Pro Bono Net, a national nonprofit, run with legal aid, pro bono and court-based programs. It refers people to nonprofit legal aid organizations in every state and territory and offers free legal information and court forms (LawHelp.org — About Us). LSC links to it, and USA.gov lists it (LSC; USA.gov).
• 211. If you don’t know who handles your kind of problem, dial 211 for referrals to local services; calls are confidential and can be anonymous (211). More in our guide on who to call.

Step 4 — Know the rules for non-citizens

LSC-funded programs must follow a federal rule, 45 CFR Part 1626 (current text from 2014). In January 2025, LSC reminded them that they are generally prohibited from helping non-citizens — with any of their funds, not only LSC money — except for the groups the law allows (LSC — Program Letter 25-1).

The groups the rule allows include, subject to the usual income and other rules (eCFR — 45 CFR 1626.4, 1626.5, 1626.10, 1626.11):

• lawful permanent residents (green card holders);
• refugees, people granted asylum and people granted withholding of removal;
• a spouse, parent or unmarried child under 21 of a U.S. citizen, who has filed an application to adjust status that has not been rejected;
• H-2A farmworkers and H-2B forestry workers, but only for wages, housing, transportation and other rights in their work contract;
• people who have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty, victims of sexual assault or trafficking, and people who qualify for a U visa, for help related to the abuse — such as protective orders, divorce, custody, housing or benefits;
• a few other groups named in the rule.

LSC also says certain Afghan and Ukrainian nationals paroled into the U.S. under 2022 laws can be served, but only for as long as their parole lasts (LSC — Program Letter 25-1).

What this means in practice (eCFR — 45 CFR Part 1626):

• Citizens are usually asked to sign a written statement that they are citizens; non-citizens are asked to show documents. You can ask the program for its list of documents that count.
• A program may not treat your accent, limited English, appearance, race or national origin as a reason to doubt that you are a citizen.
• Normal intake and referral are not counted as legal assistance under the rule, so an office that can’t take your case can still point you elsewhere.

Organizations that are not LSC-funded have their own rules. Some get other government money that limits the cases they take; many help survivors of domestic violence and other violent crimes regardless of immigration status (LawHelp.org). Ask each one directly. For questions about your own status, see free immigration legal help.

Step 5 — Use court self-help centers and other options

• Court self-help centers. Some state court systems run them for people without a lawyer, with workshops, information, court forms and help filling them in; court staff generally can’t give legal advice (LawHelp.org). In California, for example, every superior court offers some help to people without a lawyer (California Courts), court interpreters are free but must be requested in advance (California Courts — Interpreter), and you can ask for a fee waiver if you can’t afford court fees (California Courts — Fee Waiver). Services differ by state, so check your state court’s website.
• Free forms. LawHelp Interactive helps you fill out some legal forms for free (USA.gov).
• ABA Free Legal Answers. An online clinic where qualifying users post civil legal questions for free, answered by volunteer lawyers licensed in their state. Not every state takes part (ABA Free Legal Answers), and it does not answer questions about crimes (USA.gov).
• Law school clinics. Supervised law students give free or low-cost help in certain types of cases; you can ask your local bar association about them (LawHelp.org).
• Lawyer referral services. Many state and local bar associations run them. They interview you and refer you to a lawyer, or to another organization if you don’t need one; some can refer you to a low-fee lawyer, or to one who handles only part of your case (“unbundled” services) (ABA — FAQ). They are not automatically free. Find one in the ABA’s Lawyer Referral Directory.

Step 6 — Prepare for your first call

Before you call, gather:

• all court papers, notices and letters, with the dates you got them;
• your lease or contract, bills, receipts, photos and messages;
• an ID and proof of income, since programs check income (eCFR — 45 CFR Part 1611);
• a short timeline: what happened, and when.

Questions worth asking at the first contact:

• Do you handle this kind of problem where I live?
• Is there any fee?
• Can you help someone who is not a U.S. citizen?
• Can I get an interpreter?
• What is my deadline, and what should I do before it?
• If you can’t help me, who can?

What you tell a legal aid lawyer is confidential, so tell the whole truth (LawHelp.org).